Dehydrating apparatus



June 16, 1936. w. B. GODING 2,044,386

DEHYDRAT ING APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l June 16, w B. om-N 2,044,386

' DEHYDRATING APPARATUS Filed April 23, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I i \1 a n III "Ill

A I: 3 g W1 .21 9mm 1 WE. Ebdz'n 1 J! i 'II June 1 1936- w. B. GODING DEHYDRATING APPARATUS 1935 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 23 WE. fia djn Patented June 16, 1936 DEHYDRATING APPARATUS William B. Goding, Zellwcod, Fla, assignor to Florida Humus Company, Zellwood, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application April 23,

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for removing liquid from mixtures of liquids and solids; and, more particularly, to apparatus for dehydrating peat humus.

Peat humus is ordinarily obtained from a watery muck; and before it can be used for fertilizing purposes, must have practically all of the water separated therefrom. It is the main object of this invention to eifect this water separation economically and expeditiously.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan View of the dehydrating apparatus embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section through the apparatus shown in Figure 1, parts of the apparatus being shown in elevation;

Figure 3 is a central vertical section, to an enlarged scale, illustrating the structural details of one of the dehydrating cylinders forming part of the apparatus;

Figure l is a top plan view of squeezer mechanism forming part of the apparatus;

Figure 5 is a central longitudinal section taken through the mechanism shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section to an enlarged scale of one of the dehydrating cylinders forming part of this apparatus;

Figure '7 is a transverse section of one of the squeezer cylinders with parts of scraper mechanism connected thereto;

Figure 8 is a perspective of one of a number of scrapers embodied in this apparatus; and

Figure 9 is a sectional detail of one of the floating bearings which adapt one of the squeezer cylinders for movement bodily toward and from the other squeezer cylinder.

As shown in the drawings, the apparatus comprises a substantially rectangular tank 5, having the bottom 2 thereof suitably supported on standards 3. Side walls i and 5, and an end wall 6, are suitably secured to the bottom 2, the end wall 6 being secured to the side walls i and 5 at the inlet end of the tank l. An end wall l, at the outlet end of the tank, connects the upper part of the side walls 4 and E to each other, and is spaced upwardly from the bottom 2, to form the outlet opening 8.

Within the tank I a series of cylindrical perforated drums 9, l9, H and i2 are mounted to rotate about substantially vertical axes. These drums are similar in every respect; therefore, it will only be necessary to describe one in detail,

1935, Serial No. 17,883

in order to disclose their structures. For this purpose, reference is made to Figures 3 and 6 of the drawings, which show in detail the various parts of the drum 9. The drum 9 has its inner periphery suitably secured to the spiders I3, 14, and i5, spaced apart along the shaft I6 and suitably secured thereto. The drum 9 is closed at its upper end by a perforated plate I1, and the cylindrical body of the drum is likewise perforated to permit water to flow therethrough from the humus being subjected to a dehydrating operation.

The lower end of the drum 9 is open, and is located over an outlet opening l8 formed in the bottom 2 of the tank. A discharge funnel l9, secured to the bottom of the tank, extends downwardly to discharge liquid into a trough 2B, arranged directly below the funnel l9 and suitably supported by the standard 3. The shaft It has its lower end rotatably mounted in a bearing bracket 2 l, secured to the vertical flange 22 of an angle iron strap 23, which extends through the funnel l9 and has its horizontal flange secured to the bottom 2 by means of the bolts 24 and 25. (See Figure 3.)

The upper end of the shaft it is mounted to rotate in a bearing bracket 25, bolted or otherwise secured to a bulkhead 21, which extends across the tank between the side walls 4 and 5 thereof and directly above the top of the drum 9. A thr'ust bearing 28 is interposed between the top of the bearing bracket 26 and a sleeve 29, adapted to be fixed to the shaft by means of a set nut 38. The sleeve 29 can be positioned so as to hold the open lower end of the drum 9 slightly above the bottom 2 of the tank 5, to permit the free rotating of the said drum 9 Within the tank I. A seal 3| is fixed around the lower end of drum 9 to the bottom 2, in order to prevent leakage of humus under the lower open end of the cylinder 9 into the outlet funnel IS.

The shaft l6 extends through a bearing 32 fixed to a cross bar 33 secured at its opposite ends to the upper edges of the side walls l and 5. A bevel gear 34, fixed to the upper end of the shaft i6, meshes with a bevel pinion 35 which is fixed to a drive shaft 36 extending lengthwise of the tank I and rotatably mounted in bearings 31, 38, 39, and ti! secured to the respective cross bars 33 of the cylinders 9, H], H, and H2.

The shaft 36 has its inlet end rotatably mounted in a bearing bracket 4! fixed to the end wall 6; and a pulley 42 is fixed to the end of the shaft 36 to be rotated by a belt 43 to effect rotation of the shaft 36, with the consequent simultaneous rotation of the drums 9, l0, H, and I2. It will be apparent from the arrangement of bevel gearing in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, that each drum rotates in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the drum or drums adjacent thereto.

For example, drums 9 and II may be considered as rotating in a clockwise direction, looking down on the apparatus; while drums I9 and I2 rotate in an anti-clockwise direction.

The humus is caused to move through a tortuous path from the inlet to the outlet end by an arrangement of baffle plates or scrapers connected to the side walls of the tank and having their free edges in frictional contact With the cylindrical surfaces of the drums. As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, a baffle plate 44 is arranged at the inlet side of the tank I, in order to force the humus to pass around the drum 9 and between the wall 4 and the surface of said drum 9.

A baflle plate 45, preferably formed of sheet steel or other springy material, has one of its edges suitably fixed to the wall 4. The other edge of this plate 45 is provided with a scraper shoe 46, preferably of wood or fiber, and adapted to be held in yielding contact by the resilience of the material in the plate 45, against the cylindrical surface of the drum I0. Similarly, a plate 47 provided with a scraper shoe 48 is suitably fixed to the wall 5, so as to maintain the shoe 48 in yielding scraping contact with the drum 9. Plates 49, 50, 5|, and 52 provided with scraper shoes quite similar to the scraper shoes 45 and 48 on the plates 45 and 41, are secured to the walls 4 and 5 in the same manner, in order to provide the tortuous path for the humus, during its passage from the inlet to the outlet end of the tank I.

It will be apparent from the drawings that the bulkheads 2'I retard the flow of the humus through the tank, and force the same to pass through the tank in contact with the perforated surfaces of the drum. Additional scrapers may be used to remove the humus from the cylindrical surfaces of the drum. One of these scrapers 52, shown in perspective in Figure 8 of the drawings, is pivoted at the upper end of its rear edge 53 to a bracket 54 which is suitably secured to the bulkhead 21. The lower end of the scraper 52 is pivoted suitably to the bottom 2 of the tank I. A spring 55 having one end secured to the bracket 54, is bent to extend around the edge 53 of the scraper 52 and to contact with one side of the scraper 52 to force the free edge thereof into yielding contact with the cylindrical surface of the drum 9. A scraper 56, similar in every respect to the scraper 52', is pivoted at its lower end to the bottom of the tank I, and at'its upper end is pivoted to a bracket 51, fixed to the cross bar 53. A coil spring (not shown) similar to the spring 55, is used to hold the scraper 56 with its free edge in yielding scraper contact with the cylindrical surface of the drum 9.

It will be apparent from inspection of Figure l of the drawings, that the humus is forced by the rotation of the drums through the discharge outlet 8 and into a discharge hopper 58 leading to a pair of perforated squeezer drums 59 and 69. The drum 69 has its cylindrical body secured to I- beams 6| angularly spaced apart and secured to the spiders 62, which in turn are suitably fixed to a shaft 63. The lower end of the shaft 63 is mounted to rotate in a bearing bracket 54, secured between cross bars 65 and 65, having their ends fixed to the spaced apart parallel channel iron members 6'! and 68, forming part of the framework for the squeezer drums. The upper end of the shaft 63 is mounted to rotate in a bearing bracket 69, fixed between cross bars I0 and II, likewise secured to the channel irons 61 and 68.

A ballbearing sleeve I2 rests upon the plates I9 and H directly above the bearing bracket 59 and forms the lower race member of a thrust ballbearing, the other member I3 of which serves as a support for a sprocket gear I4. A clamping sleeve I5 is slidably mounted on the shaft 63 and may be secured thereto by means of a set screw I6 to clamp the sprocket gear l4 firmly to the shaft 63. The squeezer drum 59 is identical, so far as structure is concerned, to the squeezer drum 69. However, the bearings T. and 18 for its shaft 19, are mounted to slide between the pairs of crossbars 65-456 and IO-I I, respectively, in order to provide for a yielding pressure of the drum 59 against the drum 69. As shown in Figure 9 of the drawings, the bearing 58 is provided with grooves 19 and 89 adapted to receive the tongues 8| and 82, which project from plates 93 and 84, respectively, suitably secured between the crossbars I0 and II.

The bearing I8 is pivoted to a link (see Figure 5), the other end of which is pivoted at the bend of a bellcrank lever 86, which at the end of its small arm, is pivoted to a plate 81, projecting beyond the ends of the crossbars l9 and II and suitably secured thereto. The horizontal ly extending long arm 81 of the bellcrank lever, is provided with a series of notches 88, adapted to receive a loop 89 carrying a weight 99. The lower bearing I1 is slidably mounted between the cross-bars 65 and 6B and is connected by a link 9| to the bend of a bellcrank lever 92, which has the end of its short arm pivoted to a bracket 93, suitably fixed to the channel iron 66. A link 94 is connected at its opposite ends to the long arms of the bellcrank levers 86 and 92, in order that both of the levers may be operated simultaneously to hold the drum 59 in yielding contact with the drum 60.

The lower ends of the squeezer drums 59 and 69 are open and discharge liquid therefrom into the trough 20, which is inclined downwardly in opposite directions toward the center of the framework to discharge its contents through a discharge pipe 96. (See Figure 2.)

A rubber sealing strip 91 is secured to the channel iron 68 and extends from top to bottom of the drum 59. Similarly, a rubber sealing strip 98 is secured to the chamiel iron 61 and extends throughout the length of the squeezer drum 60. Scrapers 99 and I99 extend throughout the lengths of the drums 59 and 59, and are fixed to levers IOI and I02 which are fulcrumed between their ends on supporting members extending from the framework. A coil spring I93 connects the outer arms of the levers I IJI and I92 to each other to hold the scrapers 99 and I00 in yielding contact with the cylindrical surfaces of the squeezer drums.

The upper end of the shaft I9 is provided with a sprocket gear I 94 and a sprocket chain I95 engages gears I4 and I94 to effect rotation of the drums 59 and 6D in opposite directions, as shown clearly in Figure 1 of the drawings. A spout I06 ex tends across the lower open ends of the squeezer drums to receive the dehydrated humus removed by the scrapers 99 and I09. It will be noted that the squeezer drums are inclined rearwardly, so that water squeezed from the humus flows through the perforations of the drums into the 75 interior thereof to be discharged through their open lower ends into the trough 20. The humus scraped off from the drums drops into the discharge chute I06.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be considered as limited to the specific construction and arrangement described herein, since it is evident that many changes may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. Dehydrating apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal tank having an opening through the bottom thereof, a drum having a Wall at one end and the other end open, and being perforated throughout its cylindrical body and end wall, means for mounting said drum to rotate with its open end surrounding the opening in said bottom, and means for rotating said drum to move horizontally the material being dehydrated from one end to the other end of said tank, said other end having a discharge outlet, and means at said outlet for receiving and squeezing material from said discharge outlet.

2. Dehydrating apparatus comprising a tank having a series of openings through the bottom thereof, cylindrical drums, each having a wall at one end and the other end open and perforated throughout its cylindrical body and end wall, means for mounting said drums to rotate with their open ends surrounding the openings in said bottom, and means for rotating said drums to move the material from one end to the other end of said tank, said other end having a discharge outlet, and cylindrical drums mounted to rotate about parallel axes inclined to the vertical at the discharge outlets to receive and squeeze between their adjacent surfaces the material discharged from said outlet.

3. Dehydrating apparatus comprising a tank having a series of openings through the bottom thereof, cylindrical drums, each having a wall at one end and the other end open and perforated throughout its cylindrical body and end wall, means for mounting said drums with their open ends surrounding the openings in said bottom, means for rotating said drums so that each drum rotates in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the adjacent drum, and means for causing the material to move in one direction in a. tortuous path along the cylindrical surfaces of said drums toward a discharge outlet at one end of said tank.

4. Dehydrating apparatus comprising a tank having a series of openings through the bottom thereof, cylindrical drums, each having a wall at one end and the other end open and perforated throughout its cylindrical body and end wall, means for mounting said drums to rotate with their open ends surrounding the openings in said bottom, means for rotating said drums to move the material from one end to the other end of said tank, said other end having a discharge outlet, and means at said outlet to receive and squeeze the material discharged from said tank through said outlet.

WILLIAM B. GODING. 

